Yesterday, I had an opportunity, no, I MADE an opportunity to sit and read my Bible. Much of my Bible reading has been rushed lately and I have missed the times I used to spend with the Lord. Once again I am reading through the Bible chronologically. (If you’ve never tried reading the Bible this way I highly recommend it). Right now I am in the book of Psalms.
After reading the last verse in chapter sixteen, I felt an intense longing.
“You will show me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.” Psalm 16:11
I jotted the following in my Bible notes:
“Lord, show me the path of life and may I walk in it. May I again find the fullness of joy in Your presence.”
But sadly, I felt nothing. Like those words were hollow - empty.
“Lord," I prayed, "I REALLY mean it. Please help me find that joy again.”
I continued to read. Chapter seventeen. And then I began to read chapter eighteen and my eyes opened wide and my heart skipped a beat.
Listen to what David writes in the first three verses of Psalm eighteen. He writes it to the LORD after the LORD delivered him out of the hand of all his enemies and from the hand of Saul.
“I will love You, O LORD, my strength. The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; My God, my strength, in whom I trust; My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. I will call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised; So shall I be saved from my enemies.”
The first thing that came to my mind is this: Praise is befitting the pardoned. Christ has forgiven me of my sin. As one who is saved from my sin and given a home in Heaven, I have reason to praise God! Every believer has reason to praise God!
I looked at verses one through three again. And this is what I saw. The LORD is very personal. Look again at what David says. The Lord is MY strength. He is MY rock. He is MY fortress. He is MY deliverer. He is MY God. He is MY shield. He is MY strength of salvation. He is MY stronghold.
Did you see that word used repeatedly – “MY”?
WOW!!! Look at what and who God is to us! Isn’t that amazing? God is personal.
When we love the LORD, He is all this to us and more! He wants a relationship with us – He wants to communicate with us and help us. When we realize this something incredible will happen. We will be able to know that He is trustworthy. We can trust the all powerful God who is our personal Savior. We will be able to call on the LORD and be saved from our enemies.
What enemies are you facing today? Maybe it is a person or people. Maybe your enemy is fear, hopelessness, sickness, or suffering. God will deliver us – not always FROM our troubles, but THROUGH our troubles. He is our friend and helps us have victory over our enemies.
Look to His Word today and be refreshed and renewed. Call on the LORD and say, “Show me the path of life!”
9 comments:
I completely agree. It is so easy to become impersonal with God. Very interesting how the psalmist used "my" so many times.
Great thoughts!
Thanks for the reminder that He is MY GOD!! Thanks for visiting my blog too.. God bless ya, Deb
We are reading through the Chronological Bible and are currently in Proverbs. Love all versions of the Bible and this one is a special blessing to us.
I, too often ponder...about joy. I feel I don't have the joy I should. I feel beat down by life.
God say, I came to give you life more abundantly.
So I've thought...something is missing, in me.
All this to say...I have pondered this. The truest joy, I've noticed, is when I'm serving the Lord, or when he uses me to bless someone else.
I'll be keeping you in my prayers regarding your upcoming event.
It's so wonderful that He leads us through our troubles. I have read through the various books, but never chronologically. Maybe the day will come that I will.
Oh I love this Susan. Yes you have to make it personal. Today I am praying for strength to stay on the path. Will you pray with me?
Yes not always 'from' but definitely 'through'.
Yet again a remarkable post, Susan, thanks so much. Yes, the ME is really important...
It has always moved me when the bible says the God of Abram, Isaak and Jacob - for me it means, that he is a God who writes personal history.
So I believe in that God who was Abrams God and Isaaks and Jacobs, and my Moms and my Grandfathers God... those are the roots I also have. And I hope that my children can say one day that they believe in this God, who was Helens God also and who carried her all her life.
I love this post, it is honest and simple but best of all true!!
Thanks for sharing this.
Steph
www.heartpondering.blogspot.com
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